Expansion joint



Patented Aug.. 29, 1922.,

' @wom/woz FRANCIS 1. SMITH, OF RYE, NEW YORK.

EXPANSION JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 1, 1921.l Serial No. 497,762.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANCIS P. SMITH, a citizen of the United States of America, residin at Rye, Westchester County, State of New ork, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsl in Expansion Joints, of which the following is a specication.

My invention is particularly designed for use in connection with pavements, reservoir linings and similar structures made up of sections or slabs of concrete or similar material, which materials contract and expand slightly under the influence of variations of ytemperature at. different seasons of the year.

Heretofore it has been customary to fill the space between the abutting endsof such sections of concrete pavement with-a mass of waterproof, semifluid material such as asphalt, but when a crevice so filled is reduced in volumetric capacity by the expansion of the concrete sections forcing the adjacent ends together, part or all of the intervening asphalt is expelled and soon washed, or otherwise carried away by the elements or the traffic. When the crevice is afterwards enlarged by the contraction of the concrete slabs on either side of it, cracks are opened through which water can pass, or sand and gravel enter and fill the crevice, with the re-.

sult th'at when the slabs expand next summer their edges are driven against this incompressible foreign `matter with such force that they crack or crush, thus destroying the 'oint.

J My present invention is based largely on the discovery that if the waterproof,y viscous material, such as asphalt or asphalt and sand mastic used for waterproofing an expansion joint, be placed in a constant volume receptacle carried by one slab or sectionl of concrete or other material composing the main structure, and. a projection from the other slab or section be allowed to extend ,Q1/,over or through the said waterproofing mass,

the overlapping faces so formed extending in the plane of relative movement of the two in the accompanying sheet of drawings, in

which- Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a joint in a concrete pavement, parts being broken away.

Fig, 2 is a similar view of a modified construction. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through a joint 1n the Hoor lining of a reservoir.

Figs. 4 and 5 are horizontal sections through different forms of joint constructloi for use inthe wall lining of reservoirs; an

Fig. 6 is a detail of one form of one jointmember.

Throughout the drawings like reference characters indicate like parts.

1 and 2 represent (in Figs. l and 2) ladjacent ends of two slabs or sections ofI concrete used in paving a modern highway. A space 26' is left between these ends sufficient to allow for the maximum predetermined expansion of slabs l and 2 in the hottest weather, without producing contact and a. crushing force of compression between the said adjacent ends. The upper edge of one slab, as l, is cut away to form a space in which may be set a trough-like member of iron having the bottom 3, forward lip 4 andrear lip 5. A deep channel iron will usually serve. This may be anchored in section'l by anchor bolts 6. A cooperating member 7 (see Fig. l) having a downwardly extending lip 10, is anchored by bolts 8 and anchor piece' 9, on the upper edge of the section or slab 2. A standard form of angle iron may be used for this purpose. `The lip l0 extends downwardly into the interior. of the opposite channel iron and preferably rests on the bottom, 3, thereof. This lip should be cut away partly, as indicated in Fig. 6. A mass, 22, of asphalt, or similar waterproof, viscous material is placed in the trough-like member and fills the 4same to the level of the upper surface of sections 1 and 2. These sections rest on any suitable foundation 41, of gravel or other material, over which they can move slightly as they expand and contract. 25 is a plate placed under the ends of the pavement sections and bridging the space between them to prevent the foundation material from working up into crevice 26. The various recessesl vfor attachments may be molded in slabs l and 2.

It is evident that as slabs l and 2 expand and contract, the lip '10, immersed in thel lPatented Aug. 29', 1922.

' a joint in the sigle walls o constructions t viscous material 22, will move back and forth through the same, always retaining close contact therewith on one side or the other or both and'so preventing percolation vof Water through the joint. The upper surface of the joint will remain substantially always at the same level, as the surface of the mass 22 will not materially rise or fall in its container of constant volume. vAs the lip l0 rests on the surface of the bottom 3 of the cutaway space in one slab, it supports the outer edge of member 7 and enables it to withstand the blows of wheels running over, the joint.

In the modification shown in Fig. 2, a ribbed plate 12 is substituted for the angle plate 7 shown in Fig. 1. This plate may,

have slots 13 through which may project screws 'livcarried in angle iron 11. The general mode of operation of the parts is as before, the rib on plate 12 being immersed in the asphalt 22 and making a water-tight joint therewith. In this form the asphalt is entirely protected by plate 11 from wear by the trafhc', and any admixture of foreign matter with the asphalt is thus entirely' prevented.v The rib on plate 11 need not necessarily extend to and bear on the bottom of plate 3 of the .cutaway space in slab 1, as the plate is supported at both edges. Screws I14:

and slots 13 form tying means, holding the and their attached joint members 35 and 37.

In all the forms of my invention previlously described it has been permissible to leave one surface of the plastic massof packing materialexlposed, because in all these e .trough-like container member of the joint has extended in a hori-` zontal direction. This leaving the plastic massexposeiwould not be ermissible in a reservoir, because then' the asphalt lor other viscous material would flow downward and slowly i Vooze away through the openings so left.

For such side walls I use a joint construction such as shown in Figs. 4 or 5, the distinguishing feature of .which is a closed constant volume container for' the packing material. .f f y In Fig. 4 the asphalt'23 is'confined in channel 1rons21, 21, set facing one another This seals the i in an enlargement 20 of space 19 formed in the end of slab or section 1, and the tongue member 18, anchored in section 2,

`moves back and forth, through the asphalt,

into and outgof space 19. The Wall sections 1 and 2 may be kept in line by angle irons 15 anchored to one section (as 1) and overlapping the face plates -16 held on the other section 2'by bolts 17, 17. As the tongue member 18 moves back and 'forth through the asphalt mass 23, the drag of said mass on the surface of said tongue member insures continual watertight contact and therefore a watertight jointv at allitimes. This construction also prevents gravel and sand from entering space 26. t

In the form shown in Fig. 5, the last described construction is reversed. The asphalt mass 34 confined by cap member 33 anchored in section 1, slides like a tongue in and out'of the groove formed by plates 27, 27 anchored to section 2 by bolts 23. Here again the alignment of the wall sections 1 and 2 may be further assured by having the outer edges of plates 27 bear on guide plates 29', 29, anchored to section 1 by bolts 30, 30. The latter plates may also carry screws 32, 32, which engage slots 31, 31, in plates 27 27. In this construction the drag of plates 27 27, on the adjacent surfaces of the asphalt mass 34, as they move one over the other, will cause a constant crowding of the asphalt in one direction or the other, and consequent watertight contact at all times between these moving elements.

The common principle underlying all these modified constructions iSthe provision of al constant volume recess in one member in which a body of viscous material may be retained in such position that a projection eX- tending from the other member, in 4the common line of relative :s motion, may be held in constant contact with said viscous mass.l Thus the supply of the viscous material is conserved and at the same time no opportunity is afforded for the vadmission of foreign matter between the joint members.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. An expansion joint for concrete structures and the like which comprises. in combination, two members having overlapping faces extending in the plane of movement of said` members and which members are shaped to form a recess ofconstant volumetric capacity between said overlapping faces which said capacity is unvaried by the relative movement of the4 overlapping faces, and a mass of viscous waterproof material packed in and substantially filling said recess.

2. An expansion joint for concrete strucl tures and the like which comprises, in com- `binat1on, two members havmg overlapping.l

faces extending in the plane of movement of said memben and which members are l ric capacity between said overlapping faces shaped to form a recess of constant yolumetric capacity between said overlappingfaces which said capacity is unvaried by the relative movement of the overlapping faces,ex tending into both members, and a mass of viscous waterproof material packed in and' substantiallynilling said recess.

3. An expansion joint for concrete structures and the like whichv comprises, in combination, two members having overlapping faces extending in the plane of movement of said member and which members are shaped to form a recess of constant volumetwhich said capacity is unvaried bv the relative movement of the overlapping faces, and a mass of viscous waterproof material packed in and substantially filling said recess, andtying means for holding said overlapping faces together.

l 4. An expansion joint for concrete pavements which comprises, in combination, two abutting sections of concrete spaced apart v sufficiently to allow for the maximum exfirst section behind saidlip and under said.

overhanging plate and extending up substantially to the plane of the upper surfaces said members and which of the sections along the space ynot covered by the said overhangingplate. n

5. A structure such as set forth in claim- 4, combined with a second plate placed under the two concrete sections and bridging the space between their abutting ends.

6. A structure such as set forth in claim 4, in which theoverhanging plate is provided along its outerl edge with a downp wardly extending lip.

7. A structure such as set forth in claim 4, in which the overhanging plate is provided along 'its outer edge with a downwardly extending lip and projections on said lip bearing on the bottom of the cutaway portion of'the adjacent pavement section.

8. An expansion joint for concrete structures and the like which comprises, in combination, two members having overlapping faces extending in the plane of movement of j members are shaped to form a recess between said overlapping faces, and a mass of viscous waterproof material packing in and substantially filling said recess, together with layers of waterproof fabric cemented to the surfaces of th'e two rstmentioned members, said layers of fabric having portions adjacent the edges of the said rmembers immersed in.

the viscousv A material 9. A structure such as set forth in claim 4 combined with layers of` waterproof fabric .cemented to the surfaces of the concrete sections and extending into the mass of viscous material.

FRANCIS P. SMITH. 

